For all businesses, research centers and innovation actors, please check here the document produced by the Lead Partner and its technical assistance on the possibility of EU funding for innovation projects!
It includes calls of the EU programmes Horizon 2020; SME Instrument; COSME; European Territorial Cooperation until January 2015

Small and medium size enterprises play a crucial role in private sector development, busting innovations and accelerating the economic growth in developed and developing countries. SMEs in developing countries are particularly valuable since they develop new sectors and revitalize the stagnant ones, such as services, trade, and manufacturing. New businesses’ efficiency is comparatively higher than the big companies’ efficiency and therefore, they contribute more for employment rate` growth and market competition. At the beginning, SMEs faced with lack of sources for financing their growth. Since they do not have any financial history, conventional paths such as bank loans and issuance of securities are not available opportunities. Thus, the alternative financial sources such as venture capital and private equity should fulfill this gap. The Western Balkan and Central Eastern European (CEE) countries are still in a transitional stage. During this transitional period they have made substantial improvements in corporate governance, enterprise restructuring, and financial sector operations. This region attracts the international private equity investments, although not all of them are equally attractive.
Currently, there is a major shift of focus from “traditional” VC and PE countries towards emerging regions. Emerging countries attract investors by exceptional growth opportunities that require substantial funding. This shift is also supported by the aftermath of the financial crisis that strongly affected the established VC and PE markets. It is sometimes argued that exceptional growth in emerging markets fuels future VC and PE activity, and that the whole business model needs to be redesigned.
With relatively low labour costs and easy access to European markets, the region has attracted significant direct investment in recent years. Most of this investment has come from Europe, with the euro area accounting for about 70% of the total stock of inward direct investment in the region. Italy is a major investor within the region, especially in Albania where it accounts for 80% of the total (consistent with the strong trade links between the two countries) but also in Montenegro. Greece also has significant investments in Albania, Macedonia, and Serbia.
As in other emerging European economies, direct investment in the region generally peaked a year or two prior to the Lehman crisis and then fell sharply. Inward investment flows have begun to recover but remain below their pre-crisis peak levels.
In the region the focus should be put as well on boosting ideas, creating entrepreneurial behavior, improve transparency and make quality projects. Educational institutions must revise their academic programs and concentrate more on providing entrepreneurial education. Also, the government should stimulate academic and corporate R&D because the innovations are a major driving force for economic growth. Companies’ should improve employee’s knowledge and skills through continuous training and seminars. Only high trained and educated employees can increase companies’ productivity and profitability. Improved skills and knowledge will generate new ideas and projects, which will also attract the venture capital investments.
Finally, promotion of VC industry is needed in order to enlighten the institutional investors and companies on alternative investment opportunities, and on alternative sources of finance.
For more info refer to the NEXT COUNTRY OUTLOOK – 1/22/2014 By Anita Tregner-Mlinaric, META Group
Small and medium size enterprises play a crucial role in private sector development, busting innovations and accelerating the economic growth in developed and developing countries. SMEs in developing countries are particularly valuable since they develop new sectors and revitalize the stagnant ones, such as services, trade, and manufacturing. New businesses’ efficiency is comparatively higher than the big companies’ efficiency and therefore, they contribute more for employment rate` growth and market competition. At the beginning, SMEs faced with lack of sources for financing their growth. Since they do not have any financial history, conventional paths such as bank loans and issuance of securities are not available opportunities. Thus, the alternative financial sources such as venture capital and private equity should fulfill this gap. The Western Balkan and Central Eastern European (CEE) countries are still in a transitional stage. During this transitional period they have made substantial improvements in corporate governance, enterprise restructuring, and financial sector operations. This region attracts the international private equity investments, although not all of them are equally attractive.
Currently, there is a major shift of focus from “traditional” VC and PE countries towards emerging regions. Emerging countries attract investors by exceptional growth opportunities that require substantial funding. This shift is also supported by the aftermath of the financial crisis that strongly affected the established VC and PE markets. It is sometimes argued that exceptional growth in emerging markets fuels future VC and PE activity, and that the whole business model needs to be redesigned.
With relatively low labour costs and easy access to European markets, the region has attracted significant direct investment in recent years. Most of this investment has come from Europe, with the euro area accounting for about 70% of the total stock of inward direct investment in the region. Italy is a major investor within the region, especially in Albania where it accounts for 80% of the total (consistent with the strong trade links between the two countries) but also in Montenegro. Greece also has significant investments in Albania, Macedonia, and Serbia.
As in other emerging European economies, direct investment in the region generally peaked a year or two prior to the Lehman crisis and then fell sharply. Inward investment flows have begun to recover but remain below their pre-crisis peak levels.
In the region the focus should be put as well on boosting ideas, creating entrepreneurial behavior, improve transparency and make quality projects. Educational institutions must revise their academic programs and concentrate more on providing entrepreneurial education. Also, the government should stimulate academic and corporate R&D because the innovations are a major driving force for economic growth. Companies’ should improve employee’s knowledge and skills through continuous training and seminars. Only high trained and educated employees can increase companies’ productivity and profitability. Improved skills and knowledge will generate new ideas and projects, which will also attract the venture capital investments.
Finally, promotion of VC industry is needed in order to enlighten the institutional investors and companies on alternative investment opportunities, and on alternative sources of finance.
For more info refer to the NEXT COUNTRY OUTLOOK – 1/22/2014 By Anita Tregner-Mlinaric, META Group

For a business idea or research result to be succesfully exploited, the entrepreneur or the research team must have more than just an innovative technology, strong business concept, and powerful plan. They must be able to effectively present what their investment opportunity is. The “Investor Presentation” is key for obtaining funding and/or launching a company. Entrepreneurs may be looking for equity funding to move their start-up or business to the next level. Researchers may be chasing private funding. What to present to investors helps to collect and shape the information needed for any presentation to an equity investor.

An elevator pitch is the essence of your business plan or exploitation concept. Not lasting any more than one or two minutes, or the length of an elevator ride, a pitch should be compelling, well-conceived, and very well-rehearsed. This tool helps to collect and shape the information needed for any presentation to anybody you want to engage with, including an equity investor.

The Triple Helix Association is launching its inaugural series of webinars
We are delighted to announce our first series of webinar programmes which we are launching this Autumn.
The webinar programme will focus on emergent topics in the triple helix interface and is designed to promote practical discussion within THA membership community and beyond.
We plan to hold 6 webinars a year starting in November 2014. The first webinars in the series will focus on the topics we identified from our discussions with THA members and include expert talks on:

Each webinar talk will be hosted by an academic and a practitioner to give participants a balanced perspective on the topic. We anticipate a great demand for the series and urge you to reserve your place promptly.
The webinar schedule and speakers will be announced shortly – watch this space!
The annual webinar programme is FREE to the THA organisational members.
Individual members can participate FREE in the first 3 webinars. To access the entire program individual members can either subscribe a new regular organizational membership (200€) or upgrade their membership to the organizational level by sending an email to: mlaura.fornaci@triplehelixassociation.org
Non-members are welcome to join the webinars by joining our Association
For additional information:
info@triplehelixassociation.org

The Puglia region organized inside the Fiera del Levante, the workshop “Innovation and research in international cooperation – The NEXT project and the Adriatic and Ionian Macroregion”.
The event was attended by stackholders of Apulia and in particular representatives of companies, research centers and public authorities.
The speaker presented the services offered by the project NEXT and its important implications in helping companies who want to invest in the Adriatic territories.
Great emphasis was given to the usefulness of the results of the project within the strategy Adriatic and Ionian.
The participants were very satisfied and expressed much interest in the services and the development of the project NEXT.

The IV Interreg is starting, and will be presented on 2-3 december in Bologna. On the Issuu website is possible to read some reports about the major issues of the 2014-2020 program. On the top you can read the report about Creative Industries.

NEXT event “From innovation to business” was organized inside “Regional XIX Milocer Development Forum 2014” by Faculty for information system and technologies in cooperation with Association of Economics and Managers of Montenegro, University of Donja Gorica and Alliance of Central-Eastern European Universities.
NEXT event From innovation to business were attended by 400 participants, 70 eminent participants from sector of business, science and politics. Participants from Montenegro, region and Europe. Creativity, inovations and design are discussed trough different types of pannels, workshops, roundtables and also, in the focus of conference were banks and capital market. Namely, the purpose of this event was to analyze importance of innovations, creativity and design for development.
Main aims of these conference are compatible with general and specific objectvies of project customized for Montenegro:
1. Presentation of NEXT project to business and research sector and disemination of information between these two sectors;
2. Identification of potential stakeholders in business and research sector in Montenegro;
3. Detection of problems in business and research sector related for inovation;
4. Recommendations for improvement sectors of development an research in business and research institutions;
5. Networking between bussines and research institutions;
6. Promotion of investment opportunities.
Introduction about Match Making event was presented by Sandra Tinaj, General manager, University of Donja Gorica and senior staff in NEXT project: THE ADRIATIC PLATFORM FOR RESEARCH & INNOVATION . Each sector has its own challenges and opportunities. Businesses in the creative industry excel in designing and producing art, music, buildings and games. But there is unexplored potential in marketing these products. The food and horticulture sectors aim to expand their international positions. The energy sector sees opportunities in the development of renewable energy sources.
All top sectors have a strong international position. Industry and science share a wealth of knowledge and jointly develop innovations. Products and technologies produced by these top sectors contribute to finding solutions to societal issues. The food and horticulture sectors for instance invest in developing healthy foods for consumers. This will help reduce healthcare costs and absenteeism rates.

For all businesses, research centers and innovation actors, please check here the document produced by the Lead Partner and its technical assistance on the possibility of EU funding for innovation projects! It includes calls of the EU programmes Horizon 2020; SME Instrument; COSME; European Territorial Cooperation.

Chamber of Economy of Montenegro is going to organize the event devoted to NEXT Project implementation under the title ‘’IT sector in Montenegro – current state and development preconditions” from September 29th to 3rd October 2014. The event is to be held within the regional Fair of informatics achievements INFOFEST 2014, hotel “Maestral”-Miločer, in Budva, which traditionally assembles the leading ICT companies originated from the whole Mediterranean area, with the highest registered participation of IT enterprises from Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, BiH and Albania. The bilateral meetings of regional companies will be organized on September 30th and on October 1st . On the exhibition stand of Chamber of Economy which is going to be open and interactive from September 29th to 3rd October, the leading 22 Montenegrin IT companies that registered for the event will promote their results in creating products with incorporated higher technological level and advancement of services they provided. The presentation devoted to analysis of current state and development perspectives of IT sector in Montenegro is planned for September 30th. The event is organized within the Fair of informatics achievements INFOFEST 2014 because IPA projects that are directed to technology transfer and innovations as NEXT Project is, represent the logical orientation for those IT companies whose market survival depends on preparedness to adopt lacking knowledge and skills. Having in mind the current declining competitiveness of domestic IT companies after the decade of growth, B2B meetings will be used to shift the negative tendencies through opting for regional cooperation, clusters, tight specialization which produces higher added value, economy of volume and joint applying for EU funds.

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This publication has been produced with the financial assistance of the IPA Adriatic Cross-Border Cooperation Programme. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of Regione Marche and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the IPA Adriatic Cross-Border Cooperation Programme Authorities.